Drying system.



v W. M. GROSVIZNOR.

DRYING SYSTEM. APrLIoATIoN FILED APB. 9, 1909.

1,014,462. Patented .19119, 1912.

- "UMTED STATEMENT OFFICE.

JWILLIAM M. GBSVENOR, 0F 'GBANTWOOIL NEW JERSEY.

nnYINe SYSTEM.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, WIILIAM M. GRosvE- Non, a citizendbf the United States, and al resident of Grantwood, Bergen county, and 'State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drying Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My' invention yrelates to improvements in drying systems and apparatus and more especially to such systems in which a substantially closed chamber is provided in which the drying medium circulates in a substantially closed circuit being heated therein to raise the temperature of the drying medium to the proper point and then cooled to condense the moisture absorbed from the material being dried. In such systems an economical arrangement is to provide steam beating coils for heatingv the drying medium at one part of the circuit and water cooling coils for cooling and dehydrating the drying medium at another part of the system.

One object of my invention is toprovide an arrangement whereby the heat' absorbed by the cooling fluid may be utilized to supply all or part of the heat used in the heating coils and thereby decrease the loss of energy whichwould otherwise take place.

` I have found :that by providing suitable novel and advantageous arrangements of apparatus that it is possible to carry out the drying operations withy very great eiiciency by "o erating the drying medium inv a substantlally closed circuit so that substantially none of the energy imparted thereto is lost and by retaining the heat absorbed bythe cooling means and properly augmenting it l or-e3nserving it 1bn such a manner'that it.

mzybe utilized in other parts ofthe system.

Frther objects, features and advanta es will more clearly appear A from the detai ed description given below taken in connection with thel accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification.

In the drawing, Figure 1 represents somewhat diagrammatically an arrangement -designed to carry out the dryingoperations at comparatively low temperatures. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing amodifed arrange'- mentin which the drying is designed to be carried-out at relatively high temperatures. Fig. 3 is -still another similar view showing l' afmodified arrangement" fappaiatus in 4 which the drying 'operations areA designed to Specification of Letters Patent.

Application ledvApril 9, 1909. Serial No. 488,982. l

Patented Jan. 9.1912.

be carried out in a system in which condensing engines are used and in which the ex' haustfrom th engines isl of a sufficiently high temperature to be directlyutilized in the heating means of the drying apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 represents a sub.- stantially closed chamber provided with a partition 2' which so divides'the chamber as to form a substantially closed circuit for the drying medium therein. The material to be dried is placed. in the chamber in any usual and well known manner.

is forced'thereth'rough by means eof a pump 11 operated by steam from the boiler 12 through the pipe 13. The exhaust or outlet of the coolingc'oils 3 is connected to a-pipe or heat transferrer 15 by means of a pipe 16. rlhe exhaust or outlet from the vhot water heating coils 7 also connects'with the At one side `of the A partition 2 I -provide cooling or refrigerat-v v14:A which' leads through the feed water heater pipe 16 by means `of a .pipe 17 so that the cold water which has been somewhat heated in the refrigerating coils 3 and the hotwater which has been somewhat cooled in the heating coils 7 are both conducted to the feed 4water heater 15. I f the supply of feed water from these two sources is not suiiicient cold water may be'by-passed around 'the drying apparatus through a pipe 18 and back Ypressure valve 19. The pumpv11be sides operating to force the hot water through pipe 8 to the heating coils 7 also operates to force the feed water to the boiler 12. Valve 2O is provided in the pipe 14 and a valve 21 inethe pipe 13 to properly regu- ,late the flow -of Huid through these pipes.Y

The' water passing through the feed water heater 15 is further increased in temperature by exhaust steam which passes thereto from A other steam apparatus of the plant through pipe 22.- The outlet for this exhaust steam from the feed water heater 15 isthrough a pipe 23 which" maylead to any well known apparatus for the utilization thereof.` The exhaust steam from the; pump 11 is fed to A the vgeneral exhaust main 22 by means of a pipe'24. With thedrying being'carried on at l120 F. and theincoming water being at I 29 circulated 4through a substantially 'closed v. and feed water heater where it is mixed with the condensing water from coils 3. The feed water heater 15 heats the water 'passing therethrough to a sufficiently high temperature so that it is in proper condition to be directly used in the heating coils 7. It will thus be seen that substantially allof the heat absorbed by the condenser 3 in cooling and-v dehydrating the drying medium is utilized to form part of the heat used in the heating means 7. v ,Referring to Fig. 2, the coollng water is circuit by means'of a pump 25 throughthe condensing coils 26, pipe l27, preheating coils 28, pipe 29, heat-transferring means 30, pipe 31 back to the pumpf25. In passing through the condensing coils 26 the water becomes suiiciently heated to be used in the coils 28 so tha the drying medium in passing'therethrough is somewhat heated before it comes in contact with the final heating coils 32. Cold water enters through .the

vpipe 33 and lpasses through the heat transferrer or feed water heater 30 thereby cooling the condensing water sufficiently, so that it is in :aproperl condition to again be used .for condensing. lFrom the heattransferrer l 30 the cold water which enters the pipe 33 and bias been slightly warmed passes through pipe34 and is forced into the boiler by means of pump 35 through the pipe 36. The

arrangement shown in this figure being'designed to operate wheredrying'atcomparatively high temperature is desired thie heating coils'32 are directly supplied with steam .from the boiler 37 v through the pipe 38.

The outlet or exhaust of the heating coils 32 also leads to the lpump 435 through a pipe 39 and trap 40. The trap 40 is for the purpose of removing any condensate whichl may be collected therein.- A by-pass pipe 41 is provided for use when it is desired to clean or renew the trap 40. It will, therefore, be apparent that the heat absorbed in the con-y denser 26 is partially used again and given up in the 4preheating coils 28. The remainder of the heat absorbed in the condenser 26 Ais substantially given up to the feed water in the feed water heater 30, so that this heat is conveyed by the feed water to the boiler through pipes 34A and 36. lThe heat energy remaining' in the exhaust vsteam from the final heating coils 32 is also utilized in in creasing the heat in the feed water,- so that substantially all Aof the heat energyused in heating is preserved. An insulated and vper- -heating device 54, which is heated by means forated diaphragm 42 isi provided 'between -the heating coils 28 and 32 in order to pre- Ithe condensing engine '43. This system is designed to carry out the drying operations at relatively low or medium temperatures.

The .exhaust from' the engine 43 is led directly to the heatingcoils 44 by .means of pipe 45. The exhaust -steam having some of its heat taken from it here is then passed through pipes 46 and 47 to a feed water heating device 48. After imparting a'large portion of its heat to the feed water passing through the device 48 the heat in the-exe hauststeam is passed to ajet condenser 49. The incoming feed water enters through a pipe 50 and passes directly to the condensing coils 51.y The water after becoming somewhat heated there is passed out through pipe 52 to the heat transferrer or feed water i heating device 48. From here it is` passed through a pipe 53 toV a lsecond feed water of an exhaust from other steam apparatus of the plant, which exhauststeam passes in through a pipe 55 and out. through a pipe 56. From the feed water heater 54 the feed Water is forced into a boiler 57 by means ofl pump 58. The steam used for driving the engine 43 is fed thereto from the boiler 57 by ymeans of a pipe 59. The exhaust from .the pump 58 yis carried to'the general exhaust main 55 by means of a pipe 60.

From the above it will be seen that the `heat energy absorbed by the incoming water in the condensing coils 51 is utilized in the fed water and goes into the boiler 57, whence it is carried to the engine 43 'and nally to the heating coils 44. The heat energy remaining after the 'fluid has passed through the heating coils 44 is utilizedl in the feed water heater 48 and jet condenser 49. It

will be further apparent that in each of the systems shown that the heat energy absorbed bythe condenser -or refrigerating means is conveyed. to another part of the system lin which it is utilized to furnish at leastpa'rt of the energy for the heating means fvzth'e dryer or for preheating or other 'treatment of the material to be dried. Thus by pro'- viding a substantially closed-circuit for the drying medium and incorporating therewith proper connections whereby the heating and condensing iuid may be properly operated together, Ivhave provided a system in which extremely great eliciency is the result. In fact, the efficiency maybe so great that substantially no energy is lost as far as the drying operations are'concerned.

' Although I have described my improve- Having fully and clearly-.described my invention what I claim as new and desire lto secure by Letters' Patent, is':

` ing the drying medium before it comes in Contact with material, means for cooling the drying medium after it comes in contact with the .material and means for utilizing heat absorbed in the cooling by transferrin it tothe heating means.

water Z. In a drying system, means for producing different temperatures in the drying medium at diiferent points in the system, and means for transferring heat from one portion of .the'system to another independently of the drying medium.

3. In a drying system, means for heating the drying medium at one part o f the system, means for cooling the drying medium at another part of the system, and means for conveying heat absorbed by the cooling means to the heating means to be used in said heating means.

4. In a Adryin system, means for heating the drying me ium, means for supplying a fluid tol said heatin means, means for cooling the drying m ium, means for supplyin Water to the cooling-means, a heat transerrer and means for conveying the from the cooling means to the heat transferrer.

5. In a drying heating apparatus cooling apparatus for condensing the moisture absorbed by the drying medium', and means for augmenting the heat absorbed System, the Combination f b the cooling apparatus so that it is-avail-r al le for reuse. 4

6. In a drying system, a steam' plant, a drying apparatus including a cooling means for the drying medium, and means for transferring heat energy absorbed by the cooling means to the steam plant.

7. In a drying system, the combination of drying apparatus arranged to form a closed circuit for the drying medium, a condenser at one part of said circuit for cooling the drying medium said condenser being providedwith a 'condensing fluid/and means for transferring heat absorbed separate from the Ydrying medium by the condensing fluid to be utilized in another partI of the system.

8. Ina drying system, 'drying apparatus larranged to form a closed circuit for a drying medium which absorbs moisture from the material to be dried, a

condenser atone part of the circuit for for the drying medium.

the combination of' condensing the 'moisture from the dr medium and absorbing heat therefrom,

heating the drying medium.

9. In ya system including `drying a paratus, at one part of the system, liquid means for cooling the drying medium at another part of the system and meansfor conveying heat energy absorbed by the cooling means to another part of the system.

10. In a drying system, drying apparatus arranged to form a closed circuit for avdryin medium, a fluid heating means therefor,

a uid cooling means for dehydrating the drying medium and means for causing the exhaust fluid from the heating means to supply heat to the uid heating means.

11. In a drying system, drylngapparatus arranged to form a substantially closed cirmeans for utilizing the heat absorbed for rel means for heating the drying me lum cuit for the drying medium, fluid heating coils in the circuit for heating the drying medium, Watercooling coils in the circuit .for cooling, and dehydrating the drying medium, a Water heater, means for conducting the exhaust from the heating coils to the Water heater to impart heat to water therein and means for raising the tem erature of the Water thusheated and utilizing it to furnish fluid for the heating coils.

12. In a drying system, means for exposingl the materlal to a drying medium, means for heating the drying medium before, bringing-it 1n contact Withmaterial, means for exposing a cold iuid to the action of the heated medium. and means for again using the heated fluid fromsaid exposingl means in connection with-treatment of material to be dried.

13. In a drying system, the combination of heating means for the drying medium, means for cooling the dryingmedium to vcondense moisture absorbed thereby and means for utilizin the heat absorbed in the cooling by trans erring it tothe heating means.

14. In a drying system, a steam plant, a drying apparatus including a cooling means for condensing moisture absorbed by. the drying medium, and means for transferring that energy absorbed by the cooling means to the steam plant.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.l

GonHAM CROSBY, EDWIN SEGER. 

